Iran unveiled the latest generation of its Fateh ballistic missile on Monday.
Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami said the indigenously designed
munition was an “agile, radar-evading and tactical missile with pinpoint accuracy,”
semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported.
It has reportedly been successfully test fired.
Tasnim publicized the new short-range ballistic missile called the Fateh-e Mobin,
or Bright Conqueror, which is said to have a range between 300-500 kilometers. For Hatami, this new
missile demonstrates Iran’s commitment to bolster what he characterizes as defensive capabilities.
“As I had promised the Iranian nation, I will spare no effort to boost the country’s missile
capabilities, and we will certainly increase our missile power every day,” Hatami said.
“[W]ith a powerful, smart and up-to-date defense industry, we will be able to preserve peace and
stability, and today, the enemies are fully aware of the Islamic Republic’s defense power.”
During naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz that took place in the first week of August,
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched an anti-ship variant of the
Fateh-100 Mod 3 from its base in Bandar-e-Jask in southeastern Iran.
The missile flew more than 100 miles on a flight path over the strait to a test range
in the Iranian desert, Fox News reported. This was the first test-fire of an Iranian ballistic
missile in over a year, and the first test of a Fateh missile since March 2017.
It is unknown if the missile struck its target.
Last year, two Fatehs were fired at a floating barge target 155 kilometers from Bandar-e-Jask,
according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project.
One missile missed the barge but was “in the vicinity” of the target.
The second missile, fired the next day, hit its mark.
The Fateh-e Mobin is not the only new missile Iran has shown off this year.
In April 2018, Iran displayed an unidentified air-launched cruise missile during Iran’s Army
Day parade. Marked with initials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, the missile features
trapezoidal grid fins ― most commonly associated with U.S. missiles ― and a seeker in the tip.
A fresh round of veiled threats between Iran and the US emerged a week after the
re-imposition of economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic by President Trump.
When punitive restrictions were put on Iranian entities on August 7 an exercise involving
missiles reportedly took place near the Strait of Hormuz a few days later. This week Iran’s
defense ministry showed off a new short-range ballistic missile it dubbed the “Fateh Mobin.”
It shouldn’t cause too much alarm in the West, however, since it represents the
latest variant of the Fateh model that was developed in the 1990s from a large diameter
battlefield rocket called the Zelzal. The different Fatehs are usually carried on
pivoting launchers similar to those for Soviet SA-2/S-75 long-range anti-aircraft missiles.
But the news published by Iranian media about the Fateh Mobin is muddled at best.
Described as a “pin-pointing” weapon system for “sea and land-based targets in all types
of environments,” this latest iteration of the well-known missile should worry Gulf
states that don’t have a credible anti-missile defense shield. Aside from its promotional copy,
however, there’s little evidence vouching for the Fateh Mobin’s performance characteristics.
The Fateh-110 that entered production from 2004 onward was an improvement over the
Scud C battlefield rockets Iran learned to manufacture with North Korean assistance.
The Fateh-110’s reputation in the Middle East is a cause for dread though.
Since 2013 strike aircraft from Israel have entered
Syrian territory multiple times to neutralize targets
where Tel Aviv believed Fateh-110 missiles and other Iranian ordnance were stored.
The rationale for these attacks until now is preventing advanced weapons from being
delivered to Hezbollah who can launch the Fatehs on Israel’s cities. But since the beginning of
2018 a continuous Israeli air campaign in Syria was justified to knock out permanent Iranian bases
that, together with Hezbollah in Lebanon, threatened northern Israel on two fronts.
Each Fateh-110 has an estimated maximum range of 300 kilometers
while its improved Zolfaqhar variant covers twice as much territory. In June 2017 a salvo of road
mobile missiles were launched from Iran’s westernmost provinces to hit ISIS targets in
eastern Syria–proof that Iran’s striking power isn’t confined to its antiquated air force.
The much publicized retaliation was the largest offensive involving the IRGC’s missiles since
the Scud barrage from 2001 against the People’s Mujaheddin Organization in Iraq.